Butternut squash, a close cousin of pumpkin, can also taste delicious!

At school, we used to be faced with two choices in the dining hall—eat what was served or, go hungry. Prudence guided me to stick to the first option. Those days, we used to dislike pumpkin which was served often. One day, a student posted a cartoon depicting a caricature of a helpless looking boy, hands joined, murmuring reverently to a pumpkin:

“ऊपर से हो ताम्र वर्ण, भीतर से हो सोना… जिस दिन न देखूँ तुम को, आता मुझ को रोना… ओ कदुआ, ओ कदुआ, ओ कदुआ!”

Meaningfully translated…

“Thou art coppery on the outside; golden inside… O Revered Pumpkin, tears flow from my eyes, when I don’t see thou.”

We got a short-lived relief from pumpkin, when the sarcasm flowing from the cartoon melted our principal’s heart. If only, the fairy godmother who turned a pumpkin into a golden chariot for Cinderella, could also make it disappear from our daily menu, we used to pray.

Many grown-ups also detest pumpkin. There’s a popular joke about a commanding officer visiting his men who are being routinely served, among other preparations, pumpkin in the langar (jawans’ dining area). Although aware of his men’s dislike for the vegetable, he nudges his Langar Havaldar, (caretaker of the jawans’ dining hall), “बंता सिंह, कद्दू बहुत अच्छी सब्ज़ी है… (Banta Singh, pumpkin is a very good vegetable) …”

A seasoned Banta senses the mood of the Commanding Officer and paints a beautiful picture, “जी सर, कद्दू सेहत के लिए बहुत अच्छा होता है इसमें विटामिन A, B, C, D, E, F, G… (Yes Sir, pumpkin is very good for health… it contains vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, G…).”

The Commanding Officer smiles; he understands Banta’s predicament. A few days later, he needles Banta, “कद्दू बिलकुल बेकार सब्ज़ी है… ये मुझे नापसंद है (Pumpkin is an absolutely useless vegetable… I dislike it).”  

Banta Singh starts off instantly, “जी सर कद्दू तो होता ही बेकार है… ये लंगर में इसलिए सप्लाई किया जाता है क्योंकि ये सस्ता होता है। इसमें कोई विटामिन नहीं होता है… (For sure Sir, pumpkin is a useless vegetable… it is supplied to the langar because it is cheap. It doesn’t contain any vitamins…).”

The Commanding Officer takes an endearing dig at Banta, “ओए बंते… कुछ दिन पहले तो तू कह रहा था कि कद्दू बहुत अच्छी सब्ज़ी होती है… आज ये बेकार कैसे हो गई… (My dear Banta… the other day you were saying that pumpkin is a very good vegetable… how come it has become a useless vegetable today…)?”

“साहब जी, मैंने आपके अंडर नौकरी करनी है, कद्दू के अंडर नहीं (My dear Sir, I have to serve under your command… not under pumpkin’s),” Banta banters unflinchingly.

***

A habit to accept all food with reverence, or may be, indifference, was a spinoff off of the survival instinct we developed in school. For that reason, my dislike for pumpkin is now water under the bridge. At age 65, I can eat (read, “tolerate”) most preparations without squirming or making faces. So, when one day, Anjali, my daughter-in-law proposed to prepare butternut squash soup for dinner, my response was, “Why, of course! I would love to try something I have not eaten before.” ‘Butternut Squash’ had sounded very appealing to me. But my enthusiasm nosedived when I was told that butternut squash was a close cousin of our own pumpkin (कद्दू) — Pumpkin, which I had begun accepting after half a century’s detestation.

I waited with apprehension until the soup was ready. And, lo and behold, when I started eating it, there was no stopping. I ate it to my heart’s content and relished it greatly. It amazed me that butternut squash, a close cousin of pumpkin, could taste so good.

Anjali shared the recipe with me and guided me when I prepared it on my own for the first time. I felt elated when she certified my preparation fit-for-human-consumption. I was happier still when Maya, my granddaughter (2) slurped down a bowl of it with joy.

The experience of preparing the soup was therapeutic and truly blissful.

For those of my readers whose curiosity to try butternut squash soup, has been whetted by my recollection, the recipe is here.

Ingredients (for a sumptuous helping for two)

• A medium sized butternut squash – about 1.5 kgs. Use of pumpkin instead, will give the soup a sweeter taste. A Marwari by birth, and still a Marwari at heart, I love that sweet taste in everything.

• Two onions

• Two peeled and diced potatoes

• Ginger – 50 gms

• Garlic – two to three cloves

• Olive oil

• Broth – make it by boiling two cubes (sachets are available in the market) in two litres of water. This can also be made by boiling fresh vegetables of choice, like carrot, celery, potato etc. Use of non-vegetarian broth is a personal preference.

• Coconut Milk or Fresh Cream – 200 ml

• Rosemary

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Parsley, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flex seeds for garnishing (fresh parsley leaves may also be used for garnishing

Procedure

• Chop onion, ginger and garlic and sauté in olive oil until onion is golden brown

• Add peeled and diced butternut and diced potatoes (potatoes serve to thicken the soup), and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes.

• Add the broth in a quantity such that it covers the solids.

• Add rosemary, salt and pepper to it while it boils.

• When butternut squash becomes soft and can be meshed easily with a spoon, blend.

• Add coconut milk or cream and mix.

Presentation

• Serve in large bowls with garlic bread

• Garnish with parsley, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, roasted flex seeds

• Add cream for richness

• Fresh parsley leaf, or even coriander leaf can be used for garnishing. Butternut Squash Soup (orange colour), looks awesome (like Indian tricolour) when garnished with a little cream and fresh parsley or coriander leaves.

• This could also be accompanied with a salad (chick peas salad or cous cous, a Latin American salad)

• Red wine goes well with this soup.

Note: Served with garlic bread, butternut squash soup is a full meal. Butternut Squash can be replaced with broccoli or potato or carrot or cauliflower to make respective soups.

Bon appétit!